Some 700 delegates from over 40 countries are expected to attend the 3rd Annual International Geotechnical Innovation Conference (IGIC 2026) taking place in Riyadh from October 14 to 15.
This year’s conference, the biggest so far, comes at a critical time for the region. With Saudi Arabia’s construction pipeline exceeding $1.6 trillion in active projects, geotechnical engineering is playing an increasingly vital role in delivering the Kingdom’s giga and mega-projects safely and efficiently, a release said.
IGIC 2026 will bring together project owners, contractors, consultants, technology providers and equipment suppliers to explore the latest challenges and innovations across ground engineering.
It is Mena’s leading geotechnical engineering platform, purpose-built to support the region’s, especially Saudi Arabia’s, unprecedented scale of infrastructure, urban, mining, and giga-project developments.
Across Mena, projects are increasingly confronted by hard and fractured rock, karst formations, sabkha and weak soils, high and variable groundwater pressures, geohazards, and extreme climatic conditions, all while having to deliver under compressed timelines and heightened performance requirements.
From tunnelling through complex subsurface conditions and stabilising difficult ground, to managing geohazard risks and enabling resilient foundations, IGIC 2026 directly addresses the technical and execution challenges defining the region’s most ambitious projects.
The conference aims to support the delivery of Mena’s mega and giga projects by bridging the gap between design and limitations arising from challenging ground conditions, enabling timely on-site execution. It will share global best practices and lessons learned through case studies and insights from the world’s leading geotechnical experts, practitioners, and researchers; foster collaboration and knowledge exchange between project owners, government entities, contractors, consultants, technology providers, and academia; address core geotechnical challenges encountered across Saudi Arabia and the Mena region, focusing on real project risks, constructability, and performance under extreme ground conditions; and showcase best-in-class technologies, machinery and equipment from across the world that are redefining ground engineering, monitoring, and construction delivery.
The 2026 programme introduces an exclusive Mining Geotechnics Workshop, addressing critical challenges including tailings dam stability, open-pit slopes, underground excavation, seismicity and geochemical risks.
The programme will also feature an opening keynote by Prof Dr Lyesse Laloui of EPFL, Switzerland, alongside 45+ speakers covering ten key technical themes.-- TradeArabia News Service